Michael Jantz & the Davenports

Michael Jantz, styalistically "Somewhere between Paul Simon and Jeff Buckley...inspiring. - John Benson

"(Snapshots of the Universe) feels like an old friend or a comfortable sweatshirt." - Peter Chakerian, Managing Editor

Snapshots of the Universe is Cleveland native Michael Jantz’s second album of well-produced, varied songs. The opener, “Love is But an Ocean” and the upbeat pop-rock, “Better Than You”, display Jantz’s knack for penning memorable melodies and there is plenty of diversity on offer with the laid-back folk of “Sierra”, and his cover of the traditional, “Goodnight, Irene”. The excellent, “You”, and the ska-influenced, “Livin’ On Sunshine”, Jantz demonstrates his promise and potential. - Andrew Ellis, Music Editor

Michael Jantz has certainly come a long way from singing on European street corners. Snapshots of the Universe, his latest album, presents a singer/songwriter who has learned new lessons and carried some of the old ones with him throughout the hard times. Big names: Black Crowes, Oasis, and even Barry Manilow have taken notice of this new form of acoustic rock that Jantz engineers.
“You” is an up-tempo, feel-good track. The guitars bounce along while the tambourine adds just a little bit of oomph to make any listener shimmy his or her shoulders and clap to the beat. “Baby, I need you…like breathing, like breathing”; Jantz has met someone special and through his words, I have too, at least in my head.
A slap in the face from Biblical days, “Mama’s Comin’ Home,” is a Tom Petty-esque chant, a virtual foot stomper combined with eerie lyrics—“Well there’s a fence around me, baby and a fence around my heart, and there’s a fence so tall and deep and dark I might not make it out. But “Mama’s Comin’ Home.” These lines will definitely haunt while the music beguiles. If Jantz continues to write tracks like “Mama’s Comin’ Home,” then I’ll be more than happy to keep comin’ round for another listen.
- Candice Mays

“Snapshots of the Universe” is a pleasing and well-realized album that relies on Michael Jantz’s integrated talents as a songwriter, singer and guitarist. His low tenor voice is a little raw in its appeal as heard on the first track, “Love is but an Ocean,” which recalls Daniel Lanois’ plaintive higher register in the chorus. “You” illustrates Jantz’s abilities as a rhythm guitarist. In this track and others, his expressive rhythm guitars recalls the mid-period Beatles’ use of acoustic and electrics blending in support of strong melodic vocal lines. “Livin’ on Sunshine” sports a reggae-inflected verse that moves to a pleasing vocal harmony with backup vocalist Hannah Porter on the chorus. “Better Than You” employs a Beatlesque overdriven solo guitar line behind a vocal that bears overtones of Paul McCartney. The song has strong hooks and is perhaps the most radio-friendly track of the bunch. Jantz’s stable of guest musicians provide well-executed and well-mixed backing tracks. Overall, this Cleveland native has created a product worth checking out. - Steve Klingaman

Washington based singer/songwriter Michael Jantz’s second album “Snapshots of the Universe” will please fans of Neil Young, Paul McCartney and even Eric Clapton because his voice reminds me a lot of Neil Young mixed with Paul McCartney. The music is bluesy, singer/songwriter rock with folk rock vibes…”Mama’s Comin’ Home” is a bit different compared to the rest with its rootsy country rock. The folk rockish “Sierra” goes in the vein of Van Morrison while “You” could’ve been a lost John Lennon tune. I like the catchy opening track “Love is but an Ocean” with a great pop chorus. This is nothing but a good album for all fans of this genre. - Kaj Roth

Michael Jantz’s folk-rock songs boast some McCartney-esque melodies and changes (“You”, “Better Than You”), along with a light soaring sound that’s sometimes reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, especially in the slow-moving “Turn on the Radio” and the sweetly simple melody of “Always On Time.” Adding stylistic variety to this, Jantz’s second release, is a folksy, blue-eyed-blues strain, like that of John Sebastian or Randy Newman, evident in “Sierra” and Mama’s Comin’ Home.” Jantz’s clear but distinctive tenor voice – buttressed by a creamy falsetto – is a strong point. Another is a knack for precise hooklets, like the wordless chorus of “Love Is But An Ocean” and the slithery Robert Plant echo in the chorus of “You.”
The CD sags a bit in the middle under the weight of some less inspiring material, and Jantz’s lyrics range from appealingly minimalist (“Like breathing/I believe in you”) to inexplicable (“Until the mountains resolve to stand their ground/And the children they’ll just eat anything”). But this is the sort of pop music in which lyrics are secondary anyway – with the possible exception of the ska-influenced political song, “Livin’ On Sunshine.” Overall, this CD is highly enjoyable, with plenty of good songwriting and a distinctive enough sound to be a little different. Recommended.
- Jon Sobel

Michael Jantz plays rock music with an acoustic edge. His new album, ‘Snapshots of the Universe’ is a well produced enjoyable solid listen. It starts off with Love Is But An Ocean which is a solid rock song that has great vocals and melodies with solid lyrics that pulls you in. Always on Time is a nice laid back song that has great melodies, and harmonies with great backing vocals by Hannah Prater. You is upbeat and catchy rock song, and is one of the highlights for me. Turn On The Radio brings a laid-back country fold feel that drifts you away. Sierra is a chilled song with a Latin feel. Tell The Truth is an upbeat feel-good rock song with great lyrics…top stuff all the way! Have We All Gone Crazy is what a good rock song should be…I’ve been playing this one on repeat. The toe-tapping, Mama’s Comin’ Home has that old-time rock ‘n’ roll feel. Again, backing vocals by Hannah Prater work very well with Livin’ On Sunshine, a real rocky, rootsy track. Better Than You grabs you with the first note and is a real favorite of mine. The traditional, Goodnight, Irene really finishes off the album well. Overall, I can see why this guy is making a name for himself. With some high profile gigs and an album like this one, I can see good things happening for him. It’s a solid album from an artist to watch out for. He could be picked up by a big label soon. - Chris Parke